With the ready and generous support of Episcopal Relief & Development, the Diocese of Louisiana’s response to Hurricane Gustav is concentrated on supporting our churches to serve as hospitality & respite centers. This permits us both to help people meet their immediate basic needs (primarily for food) while also tending to people’s holistic needs for connection, comfort, and care. Most of the centers are based in areas where the church has electricity but the surrounding area does not, and we anticipate that several will continue even after power is restored in their area, to offset the economic hardship caused by the evacuation, loss of refrigeration, etc.

An Update from ODR

The following efforts are underway, most with financial support from ERD, and many with logistical and material support from ODR:

·         St. Patrick’s, Zachary opened as a feeding ministry on Thursday, and proceeded to serve 200 meals in the first two hours. They served over 500 people on Thursday, and over 700 today. The ministry will continue tomorrow, with accompaniment from the St. Anna’s Mobile Medical Unit.

·         St. Augustine’s, Metairie also opened as a hospitality center on Thursday and provides air conditioning, coffee, and food to those seeking a brief respite from the heat.

·         Grace Church, New Orleans began a feeding ministry today in partnership with All Souls, and is seeking to expand its ministry of hospitality in the coming days.

·         Holy Communion, Plaquemine, will open as a hospitality center tomorrow and in the meantime has been ministering to needs in both Plaquemine and Rosedale.

·         St. Philip’s, Algiers, which also serves upper Plaquemines Parish, will also open tomorrow as a hospitality center. St. Paul’s in Lakeview was able to supply an initial load of ice today to St. Philip’s, and has offered more.

·         St. George’s Dragon Café in New Orleans reopened on Wednesday night, serving dinner to National Guardsmen, NOPD, and many regular diners, and served dinner again on Thursday.

·         St. Alban’s Chapel on the LSU campus continues to support the Diocese in these efforts with its warm hospitality to our team members. 

We are also working to send resources to places where they are needed most. For example, we have been able to supply the town of Rosedale, which has yet to see any official relief materials, with tarps and other goods. We are also continuing to work on obtaining quantities of ice & water, and have several churches willing to serve as distribution points. In addition, Annunciation in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans has partnered with the Southern Baptists to operate a feeding and relief ministry.

We are grateful to all whose generosity, care and leadership makes these ministries possible, and particularly to the clergy and lay leadership of the hosting churches.